The Government Performance Lab (GPL) provided pro bono technical assistance to help Bernalillo County, NM develop comprehensive systems for procuring approximately $17 million in behavioral health services annually.
The Challenge: On March 16, 2014, Albuquerque Police officers fatally shot James Boyd, a schizophrenic man camping in the hills outside the city. This incident brought a long-standing challenge – providing adequate behavioral health care services – to the forefront of the public sphere. Like many jurisdictions across the U.S., Bernalillo County’s approach to dealing with high-risk individuals with behavioral health challenges was largely remedial (the county jail is the largest regional provider of behavioral health services, providing addiction treatment, discharge planning, etc.). In response, the voters of Bernalillo County and the County Commission approved a 1/8 percent gross receipts tax increase in late 2014 to fund behavioral health services. This resulted in an additional $17 million per year for the county to spend on providing high-risk populations with targeted behavioral health services.
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